What Little Girls Are Made Of
by The Last Good Name Left
Summary: Sugar and spice and all that's nice that's what little girls are made of. Frogs and snails and puppydogs' tails that's what little boys Faith is made of. Buffy gets Faith a birthday present.


Faith bounced into the room, a huge smile on her face. She spotted Buffy sitting on the floor, and frowned briefly. "Hey"

Buffy smiled up at Faith fondly. She clambered to her feet, and crossed the room to slide her arms around Faith's waist. They kissed hello, but before things moved any further, Faith pulled back.

"What is that?" she asked, looking down at the small bundle of energy and fur trying to climb her leg.

Buffy glanced down as well, curiously. "The offspring of a fayrl demon and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce"

Faith frowned. "Where'd it come from"

Buffy ran her fingers through Faith's hair. "The pound. Do you like him"

"It's a boy?" "Yep, all snipped and poked and prodded and everything," Buffy said, and sank down to the ground again. The puppy climbed into Buffy's lap, but quickly climbed out again. He grabbed the laces on one of Faith's boots and tugged. The laces came undone.

"Why'd you get a dog?" Faith asked, standing very still and watching the dog intently.

Buffy's brow furrowed. "Because it's my girlfriend's birthday"

Faith didn't respond. Once the puppy had successfully untied both of Faith's shoes, he briefly went back to Buffy's lap. Buffy tugged gently on his ears, then the puppy ran off to investigate the curtains blowing in the breeze.

"I thought," Buffy began. She stoop up again, and slid her hand into Faith's arm. "You said you always wanted a puppy, so when I saw this one, I thought"

Faith was still standing very still, staring at the puppy. He was tugging vigorously on the curtains, and his tiny teeth shone.

"That really wasn't my best day," Faith said faintly.

"I can think of a million and one ways I'd rather have found out, but it would be nice if something good came out of it." Buffy looked to the dog, and then stood in front of Faith, blocking her view of the dog. "You did want a dog, didn't you"

"Yeah," said Faith, tearing her gaze away from the puppy to meet Buffy's eyes. "More than anything"

At that moment, the puppy got bored of the curtains, pranced once more across the room and flopped down to gnaw on their dining table. Buffy waited for Faith's continued distraction to pass, running her hand up and down Faith's arm. "I also got you a bike," Buffy said, when it had become clear that Faith wasn't going to say anything more.

That got Faith's attention, if only briefly. "A motorcycle"

"A trick bike," Buffy said. Faith frowned once more, and returned to watching the puppy intently. He was making large dents in their dining table. Buffy tried again. "Xander's building something very large and very cement-y in the parking lot"

Faith turned to Buffy and stared at her.

"He says you'll like it"

Faith's attention returned to the puppy. "Are you going to reclaim verbosity any time soon?" Buffy asked.

Faith gave the puppy one last look, then lunged forward and swung Buffy around in hyperactive circles. Buffy laughed with joy and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend.

After several minutes with her legs wrapped around Faith's waist, Buffy pulled back and tucked a stray lock of Faith's hair away from her face. "Okay, that works too"

Faith slowly let Buffy slide down Faith's body to the ground. Her jaw worked convulsively several times, trying to say something. Eventually, she shook her head and leaned forward to kiss Buffy again.

---

The door banged open, and Faith and the puppy entered noisily. Buffy put down her magazine and watched as Faith pushed down on the puppy's hindquarters, then gave him a treat when he had successfully sat. As soon as he was done gulping his treat, he charged across the room to his water bowl.

"Do you have a name the little rapscallion yet?" Buffy asked.

"Fang"

"Didn't you call? Buffy began. She stood up and wrapped her arms around Faith. They both watched Fang standing with two feet in his water bowl, noisily drinking. He got more water on the floor than in his mouth.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to remember him," Faith said with a half shrug.

Buffy nodded. "With a dog"

Faith grinned. "He's not going to go all evil on us"

"True," Buffy said.

Fang clambered across the room and sprawled out across their feet. "He's getting us wet," Buffy said.

"Yeah," said Faith, grinning goofily at Fang.

"You're okay with this"

Faith jerked her head up with a panicked look, letting go of Buffy and leaning down to pick up Fang. Buffy grabbed her before she could touch him.

"I don't mind," Buffy said, and pulled Faith into her arms again.

Fang, bored again, sprang up and crossed the room with two large hops to reach a forgotten stake lying on the floor. He pranced around the room with his new treasure for a few moments, and then collapsed to the floor in a melee of puppy legs and ears and began gnawing at the wood.

"Hey," objected Buffy.

Faith got up to crouch down next to Fang, tugging at the stake. "Give me that, Fang." He didn't let go. Instead, he started pulling back. Fang twisted his head to get the stake out of Faith's hand; Faith held on, but continued to pull only lightly. After several minutes, Fang still hadn't let go and rather was having a wonderful time, so Faith dropped her end of the stake and looked over at Buffy helplessly. Buffy was silently shaking with laughter. Faith turned back to Fang, who had stopped tugging and resumed chewing.

Faith blew out a breath and looked around the room. Finding something appropriate, she grabbed a chunk of uncrafted wood they had gotten to make new stakes and offered it to Fang. He wasn't interested. Faith glanced at Buffy again. Buffy was still hysterical, almost falling off the couch. Faith took a deep breath, offered Fang the new piece of wood, and said in the most commanding tones she could muster, "Fang, give me the stake"

Fang ignored her.

"Fang," she repeated, "give me the stake.

Fang stood up with his prize, trotted three paces, and flopped down again, facing away from Faith. He continued chewing.

Faith stared at him.

A small sound escaped Buffy, followed by a thump as Buffy finally fell off the couch for good. Faith glared at her. Another snort escaped. Faith crawled over to Fang, and peered at him chewing the stake. After several long moments, Faith took another loud breath, set her weight, reached down, and pried his mouth open, and quickly switched the gnawed stake for the uncut piece of wood. Fang barely noticed.

Faith turned to Buffy, holding the now ravaged and useless stake. Buffy's laughter had finally slowed, and she was smiling indulgently at the them. Faith's shoulders slumped, and smiled wryly at Fang. "Yeah, you're my dog, aren't you"

Buffy crawled across the room and and wrapped her arm around Faith's shoulder. "I think he's going to have you trained in no time," Buffy said, still snickering.

---

In the early hours of the morning, Buffy stirred. She snuggled closer into Faith's back, and then paused. "There's a dog in our bed"

Faith mumbled sleepily and rolled over, burying her head in Buffy's neck.

"There is a dog in our bed," Buffy repeated.

Faith lifted her head to look at Fang, sleeping quietly at their feet. "He was crying"

"Faith, there is a dog in our bed." Buffy's voice rose.

"I know that, but he's just a puppy. He's scared," Faith said, her hand idly stroking Buffy's stomach. Buffy stared at Faith in the half-light.

"It's his first night here," Faith said, "and he was crying and scared and I promised to take care of him and protect him and?

"He's a puppy"

Faith looked confused.

"He's going to grow up into a dog," Buffy elaborated. "A big dog"

Faith shrugged, still confused. "If you keep letting him sleep on the bed, soon there won't be any room for you to sleep in the bed." Buffy said.

"It's just until he stops being so scared. It's really dark"

"I'm sure he's experienced the dark before. He's not that young"

"But—"

"Faith," Buffy warned.

Faith stared at the dog, and then at Buffy, and then at the dog again.

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

Faith clambered slowly out of bed and picked up Fang. She nuzzled his ear and whispered something unintelligible, then knelt down and placed him carefully on the floor. She rubbed his back for several minutes before standing up regretfully. As she was pulling the covers back to return to bed, she gave Fang one last apologetic look.

Buffy snuggled into her girlfriend's arms, and sighed happily into the exposed skin at Faith's neck. Sighs turned into kisses, which turned into a mapping expedition of Faith's body. It was familiar territory, but Buffy was all about the journey these days. And then her hand moved ever so slightly against Faith, and Faith forgot all about Fang.

Until Fang whimpered.

Faith jerked back from Buffy and twisted around to peer over the side the bed. With a huff, Buffy rolled on to her back and stared at the ceiling.  
Fang gave another plaintive cry. Faith stared at Buffy pleadingly. Buffy ignored them both. "Just for tonight? Please"

Buffy remained silent, glaring at the ceiling.

"I promise. It's his first night and he's so lonely and it's dark and everything is new and I promised him?

Buffy rolled over, her back speaking volumes to Faith.

"Please? I'm supposed to protect him and he's scared and he doesn't know what's out there making strange noises and it could be a demon and it's cold and lonely on the floor and—"

Buffy nodded almost imperceptibly.

Faith pounced on Buffy, slobbering kisses and tickling her in a flurry of motion before leaping out of bed to snatch Fang from the floor. She cuddled him close for a moment before dropping him on the foot of the bed at Buffy's feet. Faith slid back into bed and wrapped her arms around Buffy.

"Best birthday ever, B," Faith whispered.

Her only answer was a small puppy snore.

Faith smiled.


End file.
